1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a cartridge for firearms comprising a plastic case which is closed at its rear end and comprises a propellant charge and a primer and has a tip portion defining a socket, which contains a full-bore projectile, wherein the socket-defining tip portion terminates adjacent to the nose of the projectile in a forward end face that is normal to the axis of the cartridge and said tip portion has an outside peripheral surface which tapers toward said end face with a concave contour.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Cartridge cases serve not only to interconnect and protect the projectile, propellant charge and primer but are particularly intended to provide a strong and centering mounting for the projectile and to contribute to the sealing of the chamber of the firearm as the propellant charge is fired and the round is discharged. To meet said requirements, most cases for live cartridges have previously been made of metal although this involves high manufacturing costs and a heavy weight of the cartridge. Attempts to use caseless cartridges have not been successful because the desired action of the cartridge cannot be ensured unless the case performs the protecting, guiding and sealing functions of the case because otherwise the firearm will be unreliable.
It has also been proposed to use a cartridge case which is made of plastic so that the advantages afforded by a cartridge case will be retained but the manufacturing costs and the weight of the cartridge can be reduced. In Published German Application No. 22 09 459 it has been proposed to make such plastic cases in the form of hollow cylinders, which are closed at their rear end and adjacent to that closed rear end contain the propellant charge and the primer. The projectile is provided with an externally threaded sheath and is screwed into the case from its open forward end until the nose of the projectile is also contained in the case. Owing to said manufacturing operations the manufacture is still rather expensive. Besides, the base primer requires a case to have a special base, which must have an adequate strength, and the base primer also requires the base to have a weak point, which may result in a leakage as the round is discharged.